MahaOpen ATP Challenger: Karan Singh Exits Early, Ramkumar Falls in Qualifiers
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Synopsis
In the Maha Open ATP Challenger, Karan Singh exits in the first round, while Ramkumar Ramanathan faces defeat in the final qualifying round. Notable matches included Alexis Galarneau's impressive victory and Valentin Vacherot's upset over Elmer Moller.
Key Takeaways
- Karan Singh lost in the first round against Alexis Galarneau.
- Ramkumar Ramanathan was defeated by Kimmer Coppejans in the qualifiers.
- Valentin Vacherot upset fourth-seed Elmer Moller.
- Dalibor Svrcina saved match points to win his match.
- The tournament is held at Balewadi sports complex.
Pune, Feb 17 (NationPress) Wildcard entrant 21-year-old Karan Singh faced defeat in the first round of the main draw, while Ramkumar Ramanathan was unsuccessful in the final qualifying round of the Maha Open ATP Challenger 100 Men’s Tennis Championship held here on Monday.
As the main draw matches commenced on Monday, the eighth-seeded Alexis Galarneau from Canada took just 1 hour and 3 minutes to teach a lesson to wildcard player Karan Singh, winning 6-4, 6-1. The Canadian, currently ranked 170th globally, broke Singh's serve in the very first game of both sets. Although Singh displayed confidence in the first set, he faltered in the second.
This event is being organized by the Maharashtra State Lawn Tennis Association (MSLTA) in collaboration with the Department of Sports and Youth Services, Govt of Maharashtra, PCMC, PMC, and PMDTA at the Tennis Stadium located within the Balewadi sports complex.
Valentin Vacherot, the previous edition's champion of the Maha Open Challenger in Pune, who achieved a ranking as high as 110 last year, is currently positioned at 201. He commenced this year’s tournament with an upset, defeating fourth-seeded Elmer Moller from Denmark, with scores of 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 in just over 2 hours.
Dalibor Svrcina from the Czech Republic, a familiar face on the Indian Futures Tour, saved two match points to come back from 4-5 down in the third set, winning 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in the longest match of the day, which lasted 2 hours and 26 minutes.
In the final qualifying round, seventh-seeded Kimmer Coppejans from Belgium triumphed over Ramkumar Ramanathan, a Davis Cup player, winning 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-0 in 2 hours and 3 minutes. Ramkumar showed flashes of brilliance in the second set but was unable to maintain his performance in the third.
The sixth-seeded Ilia Simakin from Russia eliminated former Maha Open ATP Tour champion Jiri Vesely of the Czech Republic, with a score of 7-5, 6-1. Additionally, another Russian, Petr Bar Biryukov, qualified for the main draw, alongside Michael Geerts from Belgium, ninth-seeded Masamichi Imamura, and Hiroki Moriya from Japan.
Results: Main Draw: First Round:
Valentin Vacherot bt [4] Elmer Moller (DEN) 5-7, 6-2, 6-4; [8] Alexis Galarneau (CAN) bt [WC] Karan Singh (IND) 6-4, 6-1
Final Qualifying Round:
[3] Michael Geerts (BEL) bt [8] Justin Engel (GER) 7-6(4), 6-2; [9] Masamichi Imamura (JPN) bt [4] Blake Ellis (AUS) 6-1, 6-4; [6] Ilia Simakin bt [10] Jiri Vesely (CZE) 7-5, 6-1; [7] Kimmer Coppejans (BEL) bt Ramkumar Ramanathan (IND) 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-0; Petr Bar Biryukov bt [11] Kris Van Wyk (RSA) 6-3, 6-4
Hiroki Moriya (JPN) bt [12] Matthew Dellavedova (AUS)
Doubles: First Round:
Jay Clarke(GBR)/Jurij Rodionov (AUT) bt Enzo Couacaud (FRA)/Rio Noguchi (JPN) 6-3, 5-7, 12-10.
